*VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH!!* Meet Gareth.

Hands together please to celebrate August's Volunteer of the Month, Gareth! Gareth was nominated by St Giles Trust, where he has been volunteering in their social supermarket, The Pantry.

St Giles Trust's volunteer coordinator Hannah told us, ""Gareth is a dedicated team player and the change that we have seen in his confidence in recent months has been tremendous.

Gareth has increased his volunteering hours and passed his L3 Advice and Guidance qualification. He requested to do this as he wants to give back to clients who have been in similar situations to himself. This shows his investment in himself and the community within which he lives. He has an exceptional ability to make clients feel welcome and at ease and is able to build a good rapport with them.

Gareth is very self-aware and has developed to see challenges as a stepping-stone for the next part of his journey rather than as a barrier which is how he previously viewed set-backs. He is willing to learn and extremely reliable with excellent communication skills. He is also supportive of the project, helping to develop ideas to further grow the Pantry and as a result further support clients accessing it. Gareth is very much seen as part of our team and is an asset to the clients who he supports."

Congratulations Gareth, and thanks for all you do.